WisconsinSB1692025-2026 Wisconsin Legislature (Biennial Session)SenateWALLET

An Act to repeal 757.07 (4m) (a); to renumber 757.07 (6); to renumber and amend 59.43 (1r); to amend 757.07 (1) (g) 1., 757.07 (1) (i), 757.07 (1) (k), 757.07 (2) (a), 757.07 (4) (b) 1. a., 757.07 (4) (b) 2., 757.07 (4) (d), 757.07 (4) (e) 1., 757.07 (4m) (b) and 757.07 (5) (b); to create 59.43 (1r) (b) 3., 757.07 (1) (am), 757.07 (1) (em), 757.07 (1) (im), 757.07 (2) (c), 757.07 (4) (e) 2. d., 757.07 (4m) (c) and 757.07 (6) (b) of the statutes; Relating to: privacy protections for judicial officers.

Sponsored By: Van Wanggaard (Republican)

Became Law

Sen Bill 169Data processing -- Privacy issuesJudgePrivacyPublic liabilityRegister of deedsState agenciesSupreme Court

Your PRIA Score

Score Hidden

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to start

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

6 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.

How judges request and keep privacy

Judicial officers can file a notarized privacy request on a court form. It must list what to protect, may name up to two secondary homes (a place you live at least 14 days a year), and identify immediate family for linked protections. A request may be signed by you or your employer’s representative. After filing, agencies must withhold your residence certificate and protected personal information. The form itself is confidential, but the fact a request exists is public. Each quarter, the director of state courts sends agencies a list of officers who filed; getting the list counts as a request to that agency. When an agency sends your nonpublic records to another, it must include your request, notify you, and the receiving agency must honor it; legally required public notices remain allowed.

Law enforcement access to protected data

Law enforcement agencies, support organizations, and their data vendors can get protected personal information for official use. The law clarifies that “law enforcement support organizations” do not include charities. This helps investigations but narrows privacy for covered judicial officers.

Remove judges' data from ethics filings

If you submit a written request to the commission, it must not disclose your protected personal information, except for required chapter 13 filings. The commission reviews its campaign finance system every quarter to find and remove such data. It also must remove personal information before giving your statement of economic interests to others.

Keep judges' property records private

After you file a written request and name a recorded electronic document number, the register of deeds must keep the electronic image of that document confidential. It may be shared only with your consent or as the law allows. This overrides normal posting or inspection for the specific documents you identify.

What counts as judges' personal info

The law adds home addresses shown with a judge’s name and the names of children under 18 as protected personal information. But an address shown alone on a public land‑records site, without an owner or occupant name, is not protected. This keeps address checks for utilities and emergency services.

Limited business sharing of judge data

A business covered by one of the statutory exceptions may share a judicial officer’s protected information with a third party for a business need. Neither party may post or display the information publicly. This allows limited, nonpublic transfers to keep operations working.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Van Wanggaard

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

  • Barbara Dittrich

    Republican • House

  • Rick Gundrum

    Republican • House

  • Rob Kreibich

    Republican • House

  • David Murphy

    Republican • House

  • Jerry O'Connor

    Republican • House

  • William Penterman

    Republican • House

  • Melissa Ratcliff

    Democratic • Senate

  • Christine Sinicki

    Democratic • House

  • Lisa Subeck

    Democratic • House

  • Ron Tusler

    Republican • House

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

Actions Timeline

  1. Published 8-9-2025

    8/11/2025Senate
  2. Report approved by the Governor on 8-8-2025. 2025 Wisconsin Act 25

    8/11/2025Senate
  3. Presented to the Governor on 8-7-2025

    8/7/2025Senate
  4. Report correctly enrolled

    6/25/2025Senate
  5. LRB correction (Senate Substitute Amendment 1)

    6/25/2025Senate
  6. Received from Assembly concurred in

    6/24/2025Senate
  7. Ordered immediately messaged

    6/24/2025House
  8. Read a third time and concurred in

    6/24/2025House
  9. Rules suspended

    6/24/2025House
  10. Ordered to a third reading

    6/24/2025House
  11. Read a second time

    6/24/2025House
  12. Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

    6/24/2025House
  13. Representatives Stubbs and Ortiz-Velez added as cosponsors

    6/24/2025House
  14. Read first time and referred to calendar of 6-24-2025

    6/20/2025House
  15. Received from Senate

    6/19/2025House
  16. Ordered immediately messaged

    6/18/2025Senate
  17. Read a third time and passed

    6/18/2025Senate
  18. Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

    6/18/2025Senate
  19. Ordered to a third reading

    6/18/2025Senate
  20. Senate Substitute Amendment 1 adopted

    6/18/2025Senate
  21. Read a second time

    6/18/2025Senate
  22. Senator Ratcliff added as a coauthor

    6/18/2025Senate
  23. Placed on calendar 6-18-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

    6/17/2025Senate
  24. Available for scheduling

    6/5/2025Senate
  25. Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Ayes 8, Noes 0

    6/5/2025Senate

Bill Text

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation